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Settling in

Settling in Athens

As Europeans, you need no visa to live in Athens. The real challenge lies elsewhere: getting the AFM tax number, the AMKA social security number and the residence certificate in the right order, then finding a home near school. Here is what we would have liked to know before arriving, checked against official sources and Athènes Accueil.

Verified on 31 October 2026

Arrival and first steps

No visa for a French family: an ID card or passport is enough. Beyond three months, however, you must register with the Greek authorities, and consular registration is strongly recommended.

Good to know

  • For a stay of under 3 months, nothing to do: just carry your ID card or passport. Source
  • Between 3 months and 5 years, each French national must apply for a registration certificate, free and valid 5 years, at the aliens department of the police for their area; after 5 years, you apply for permanent residence. Source
  • A non-EU spouse of an EU citizen must apply for a residence card as the family member of an EU national. Source
  • The consulate plays no part in this process: the list of documents comes directly from the Greek authorities. Appointments are booked on the police portal (portal.astynomia.gr). Source
  • Registering with the register of French nationals abroad is free, valid 5 years and strongly recommended beyond 6 months. It is done online on service-public.fr and is required for school grants. Source
  • Week 1: apply for the AFM tax number (needed to rent, open a bank account or get a phone plan), then the AMKA social security number, before the residence certificate. Source

Addresses

  • Consulat général de France à Athènes

    Consulate

    6 rue Akadimias, 10671 Athènes (1er étage, près de Syntagma)

    Open to the public Monday to Friday 8:30 to 13:30; Syntagma metro station. France Consulaire phone service Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00.

    Website Source

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Where to live and how to rent

Most French families choose the northern suburbs, close to the Franco-Hellenic lycée in Agia Paraskevi and the French-speaking kindergartens, or the south, for the sea. The centre tends to attract couples and families with young children who want to live on foot.

Good to know

  • Residential leases run for 3 years and protect the tenant: the landlord cannot make you leave during the contract. Negotiate an early-exit clause, otherwise a hefty penalty may apply. Source
  • At signing: two months' deposit, the first month's rent and, where applicable, the agency fee, usually one month's rent. Source
  • Many houses become available between June and August; agencies readily organise several days of back-to-back viewings. Source
  • There is no systematic inventory: do one yourself. Homes are usually let freshly painted, often with a fitted kitchen, but rarely insured by the landlord. Source
  • In a flat, check the heating: shared heating often runs in two-hour slots, two or three times a day. Also check that previous water and electricity bills have been paid. Source
  • Local taxes (refuse collection, TV licence) are collected through the electricity bill, based on floor area. Watch the price of water, which rises sharply above certain thresholds (garden, pool). Source

Addresses

  • Agia Paraskevi

    Neighbourhood

    Home of the Franco-Hellenic lycée, residential and green, at the foot of Mount Hymettus: the obvious choice to avoid school runs.

    Source

  • Chalandri

    Neighbourhood

    Lively northern suburb with a busy central square and a French-speaking kindergarten; minutes from the lycée.

    Source

  • Psychiko, Filothei et Neo Psychiko

    Neighbourhood

    Leafy, upmarket residential areas in the north, close to both the centre and the lycée.

    Source

  • Kifissia et Marousi

    Neighbourhood

    The far north, cooler in summer, with houses and gardens; Marousi is also home to the big private clinics.

    Source

  • Glyfada, Voula et Vouliagmeni

    Neighbourhood

    The Athens riviera in the south: the sea on foot, but allow more travel time to the lycée.

    Source

  • Kolonaki et le centre

    Neighbourhood

    To live on foot near museums, the consulate and the Institut français, in a flat.

    Source

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Phone and insurance

A phone line is activated quickly with ID; a contract plan follows with the AFM. On insurance, only the car's is compulsory, but insure your home as soon as you arrive.

Good to know

  • For the phone, a prepaid SIM is bought in a shop with ID; a contract plan also requires the AFM, which you need to sign up for any phone offer. Source
  • As soon as you move in, put the water and electricity bills in your name and insure your belongings quickly: landlords generally do not insure the home. Source
  • Third-party motor insurance is compulsory; if you bring your car, check with your insurer how long your French policy remains valid in Greece. Source

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Banking and money

In Greece, everything starts with the AFM, the tax number: without it, no bank account. Once the account is open, cards and IRIS, transfers by phone number, cover daily life.

Good to know

  • The AFM, a 9-digit tax number, is required to rent a home, open a bank account, take out a phone plan or be hired. Source
  • You can apply for the AFM online on the myAADE platform (in Greek), with a video appointment; you then receive the number and Taxisnet login codes straight away. Source
  • Until you have a Greek account, your French bank card works just as it does at home: a payment or withdrawal in euros in another EU country must be charged as it would be in France. Still, check your card's terms before you leave. Source
  • Day to day, cards, contactless included, work almost everywhere. Between individuals, IRIS, the Greek interbank instant transfer service by phone number, is built into Greek banks' apps and is also accepted by many shops. Source
  • To send or receive money with France, a euro transfer is enough: since 2025, euro area banks must offer instant transfers, at the same price as a standard one, and check the payee's name before sending. French school fees can therefore be paid from your French or local account. Source
  • Your French IBAN is valid throughout the SEPA area: an employer, landlord, school or energy supplier is not allowed to refuse it because it is not local. If it happens, point to the rule; it is European law. Source
  • Keep your French account, useful for taxes, insurance and holidays back home, but tell your bank you are moving: it becomes a non-resident account and some terms may change. Check before you leave. Source

Addresses

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Setting up your home

Athens has three IKEA stores, on Kifisou avenue, near the airport and in The Mall Athens, and almost everything can be delivered. For the rest: neighbourhood supermarkets, large shopping centres in Marousi and second hand via Vinted and the French-speaking families' mutual-help groups when people move away.

Addresses

Getting around with children

The Athens metro is clean and handy for the centre, but the city is spread out and many families in the northern and southern suburbs have a car. The lycée's school bus saves a lot of driving.

Good to know

  • Children under 6 travel free on OASA transport (metro, bus, trolleybus, tram). Source
  • From 7 to 18, children get the reduced fare with a personalised ATH.ENA card issued according to age. Source
  • The 30-day pass, like the 90-day pass, comes at full price and at a half-price reduced fare. Source
  • Your French driving licence is recognised in Greece as everywhere in the EU: no compulsory exchange while it is valid. Source
  • The LFHED runs a school bus service, billed yearly according to the chosen stop. Source

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Admin and taxes

Two numbers will follow you everywhere: the AFM for tax and the AMKA for social security. The KEP, one-stop citizen service centres in every municipality, are your allies for most formalities.

Good to know

  • The 11-digit AMKA is the equivalent of a social security number: essential to work, take out insurance or access public healthcare. Source
  • The AMKA is requested at a KEP or from e-EFKA; an EU citizen working in Greece must go to the e-EFKA office for their area. Source
  • Your tax status depends on how long you stay: under 183 days in Greece, you are a foreign tax resident; beyond that, a permanent tax resident, attached to the tax office for your address. Source
  • The consulate issues passports and ID cards, registers births and marriages and processes school grants. It plays no part in residence permits or Greek tax matters. Source
  • French welfare benefits (family allowances, RSA, unemployment) are suspended when you move abroad: notify the relevant offices. Source

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Budget: what changes

Athens remains gentler than Paris on many items, but some costs come as a surprise: energy, water, cars and private healthcare.

Good to know

  • In 2026-2027, LFHED tuition ranges from €6,150 a year (nursery and primary) to €6,700 (lycée); it is 20% higher when the employer pays. Source
  • Heating oil is very expensive from April to mid-October: ask your landlord when to order it. Source
  • Water becomes expensive above certain consumption thresholds: watered gardens and pools weigh heavily on the bill. Source
  • Consultations with an EOPYY-contracted doctor are covered, but many families see private doctors: international or top-up health insurance is strongly advised. Source
  • Public transport remains cheap, with a half-price 30-day pass for children; a car, often essential in the suburbs, adds a real line to the budget. Source

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A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Athens will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Consulat général de France à Athènes
  2. 2 Consulat : attestation d'inscription en tant qu'étranger
  3. 3 Consulat : livret d'accueil (Vivre ou venir en Grèce)
  4. 4 Athènes Accueil : démarches administratives
  5. 5 Athènes Accueil : se loger
  6. 6 OASA : personnes bénéficiant de la gratuité ou du tarif réduit
  7. 7 CLEISS : le régime grec de sécurité sociale
  8. 8 Your Europe, ouvrir un compte bancaire dans l'UE

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Verified addresses, official sources, school-year dates: we write when the Athens guide changes, never more than once a week.

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